Sea Stays Silent
by the.woods
Summary: Life away from Sunnydale has given Buffy a new look on life, causing her to get weirder each day. Will anyone be able to save her from herself? Who knows if she even wants to be saved, anymore... [AU..BA]
1. Head On Collision

TITLE: Sea Stays Silent  
FEEDBACK: Yes, please !  
DISTRIBUTION: Credit and tell me where its going please :D  
AUTHOR: never look back  
SUMMARY: Life away from Sunnydale has given Buffy a new outlook on things; but is this a good or bad thing? Will anyone be able to save her from herself? AU..BA  
SPOILERS: It's an AU.  
DISCLAIMER: I obviously don't own any of the characters listed in this story. Why write fan fiction when I could control minds on tv? All belong to the WB, Joss Whedon, etc.  
AUTHOR NOTES: **_italics _are thoughts or dreams

* * *

**

The haunting yet calming sound of the ocean's waves echoed throughout the beach. She was motionless, lying on the sand next to her new-found best friends, as the sun began to drop even lower into the horizon, making a beautiful swirl of colors unto the sky and sea.

Buffy Summers took in a breath, watching the sea from her comfortable position in the sand. She rolled the sand beneath her fingers, never wanting to forget the feeling. The feeling of freedom, with Willow and Xander on either side of her. The feeling of peacefulness between the sea and her own being, of not having to worry about anything.

"What do you guys feel?" Xander asked quietly, not wanting to ruin the moment. "I don't want this to end. I don't want this to end…"

"I want to take a picture," Willow answered, lost in her own world. "A picture…so I won't forget. So I'll never forget."

A short silence ensured as the pair waited for Buffy to answer. She brought herself to her feet, stretched her arms out to the sky, and screamed. Screamed with all her happiness and joy, her passion and furry. Xander and Willow laughed and tackled Buffy back to the sand.

"What was that about?" Willow said as she laughed.

"I was silent," Buffy answered carefully, "when all I wanted to do was scream."

"Very deep," Xander joked, rising to stand. "Now, if you would please lessen your brain cells and get ready for the ride home--"

"Oh, great," she interrupted. "We have school tomorrow, don't we?"

Willow smiled and followed Xander to the car. "That's why we took the trip!"

Buffy stayed still on the sand for a few minutes longer while both Xander and Willow cleaned up.

"She's the last one on the beach," Xander noted. "Sometimes it feels like she's so far above us." He glanced at Willow for a second before combing out his hair with his fingers. "I mean mentally. Spiritually, you know?"

"Yeah," Willow answered, looking back out at Buffy, who had started walking towards the sea's edge instead of towards them. "I just hope she won't fly away from us."

Xander put a reassuring hand on Willow's shoulder before jogging after Buffy. Just like the first time they had met, Willow still felt the slightest bit doubtful on Buffy's mental stability. They hadn't seen each other in years, and on impulse she had invited Buffy to come on a weekend trip to the beach with Xander. Buffy had agreed, and they got to know each other even better than in middle school years.

Buffy walked up with Xander and noticed the worried look in Willow's eyes. "I'm fine, Will," she said out of instinct. She walked to the outdoor showers and turned the knob. Cold water bit her skin.

"I'm fine," she told herself. The water ran down her back, beneath her bathing suit, washing away all traces of her ever standing on the beach.

* * *

The car ride home was quiet; everyone reflecting on different aspects of their lives. Occasionally, they would talk about being seniors, or bring up past memories which Buffy wasn't apart of. She told them a little about her life in LA, about her life away from Sunnydale, but nothing that gave away too much information. Xander and Willow both could see that something had changed Buffy, brought her even more silent and contemplative, but they didn't have the courage to ask. 

Willow fell asleep in the back on the way to Buffy's house. Buffy quietly said good bye and good night to Xander, grabbed her stuff, and gave the two a last look before quietly closing the car door.

Her mother, Joyce, wasn't sleeping yet. The television set was full proof that she had stayed up to make sure Buffy came in all right. As Buffy put her beach gear down, Joyce turned off the television and hugged her daughter.

"How was it?"

"Good," Buffy nodded absently. "Fun. I love the beach."

"I know you do."

Buffy began to walk up the stairs before her mother could say anything else. She heard dishes clattering down below, reminding her that there was school tomorrow. School. Chores. There was no difference anymore.

Joyce came up to check on Buffy one last time.

"I'm getting tired," Buffy said. Joyce wasn't sure if there was a double meaning in her words, or not.

"You should sleep, then." She was about to leave when suddenly she faced her daughter again. "Did I tell you the neighbors moved in today? Next door?"

"The house was for sale?"

"Yes…you probably didn't notice, with your own move in all."

Buffy put her swim suit on her drawer to dry. Her mother leaned against the doorway, watching. "Aren't you going to ask about them?"

Buffy sighed. "I'm not really interested."

"They're not new," Joyce said, ignoring her daughter's last comment. "They've lived in Sunnydale almost all of their life. Mother and son next door, that's it. Father moved out on them a little while back, didn't want to live the glamorous rich life anymore…or so they say…"

"Mom, I really want to go to bed." She got underneath the covers to prove her point. "I don't even know them."

"Her son probably goes to your school," Joyce answered. "He is so sweet, you should meet him--"

"Mom!"

"Good night, then, honey."

Buffy looked over at her clock. It was only eight. She sighed before getting out of bed and opening her window. Swiftly, she was able to get onto the roof without making a noise. Creeping carefully away from the edge of the roof, she sat down on the hard material and looked around.

Her neighborhood was a little eerie, she noticed. Too peaceful and quiet; not a car rumble in hearing range. It was nice…but the silence was deafening.

Finally, in the distance, Buffy caught the sound of a vehicle roaring past. She closed her eyes, inhaled the night air, and waited. The engine seemed to claw closer and closer to her house, getting louder and louder which each second passing. Opening her eyes, she watched as a red convertible in mint-condition pulled up to the drive-way on the right of her house. Realizing it must be the new neighbors, Buffy stayed completely still and watched as the hard and loud music died down.

Around four guys were in the car, but Buffy only noticed three get out. One had platinum blonde hair, another had no hair at all, and the driver had spiked hair. In the dark, she couldn't tell what color it was, and she didn't have a clear view of what they looked like, but she continued to watch.

"Some ride," a smooth voice said, edged with sarcasm.

"Yeah, well, 'morrow's school and whatnot."

"School. Don't make me laugh, man."

A voice from inside the convertible was heard. "Angelcakes, what are you going to do about the music!"

"Nothing's wrong with it." The same voice which threatened to consume Buffy's being spoke again. "It's my car."

"Whatever you say, boss."

The group noisily went inside the house. Buffy stayed outside for a minute longer before sauntering through the window and into her bed.

* * *


	2. Work

"Juniors," Xander muttered as he parked. "We're juniors, now."

"Yeah," Willow said, getting out of the car, "now the rest of us can get our permits _and_ our licenses."

Buffy and Willow laughed while Xander grinned sheepishly. "Hey, you guys are getting a free ride out of this -- whether or not me not having a licenses yet _and_ driving the two of you around is up for debate."

"No complaints here," Buffy answered and put her hands up in a mock surrender.

The group of friends wandered into Sunnydale High with optimism. Even though Buffy was a little worried about fitting it at first, she realized her true friends were what mattered. Everything else would come later.

"Oh," Buffy said out of no where. "That reminds me."

"What reminds you?" Xander asked.

"What? Um, random thoughts."

Xander nodded for her to continue.

"Thanks a lot, for inviting me to the beach and all. It…it really meant a lot. To me." Buffy tugged a loose strand of hair behind her ear shyly and looked at the ground. "I know I haven't been…quite myself this summer. But I'm changing! I'm getting better."

"And you're talking in full sentences," Willow added. "So that's a good change."

Buffy scrunched her nose and pouted. "I really didn't talk in full sentences?" Waving the rhetorical question away, she continued. "This isn't like a change, though. It's…different. Not exactly change…just…different."

Willow and Xander looked at her with confused expressions.

"Am I not making sense again?"

The two sadly smiled. Buffy sighed before consciously choosing not to engage with her friends' conversation on Cordelia and her matching shoes/outfit/car. For some reason, the topic didn't interest her as much as it used to. In fact, nothing even the least bit shallow interested her anymore.

She pretended to listen and nodded at all the right times. She laughed at all the mockery of Cordelia done by Xander, and even threw in her own two cents. But it didn't seem to matter. Even school seemed like a lie her whole existence was wasted on.

"Brooding, are we?"

Buffy snapped out of her thoughts. Both Xander and Willow looked at her with concern.

"Class bell," Xander said. "Where are you off to?"

She checked her schedule. The yellow card made her want to throw up whenever she looked at it, reminding her how school constantly cut away at precious hours of her short life.

"Homeroom with the band instructor," she replied, stuffing her schedule back into her baggy jean pockets. Adjusting the metallic belt buckle on her waist, she added, "guessing it's by last names once again."

"Once again," Willow agreed. "I'm the room down from yours."

The two young women waved to Xander before walking into the halls of their own classes. Buffy murmured a goodbye to Willow just as the bell rang. She ran a hand through her dulled blonde hair and sighed, opening the door to her homeroom. The teacher had just started calling roll, making it easier for her to slip into the back unnoticed.

Buffy slumped in her chair and stared at the ground. She couldn't wait to get home, already.

"Buffy Summers?"

She didn't look up. "Here."

The teacher noticed. "That's no way to be enthusiastic for the first day of school."

"The anti-school spirit squad ordered me here," she answered sarcastically. "Take it up with the boss."

"In a band room? I'm not surprised," the guy sitting next to her said. She smirked and made eye contact with him, immediately recognizing his laid back voice.

_He might have been over the neighbor's house,_ she recalled. Or at least she thought he was. She decided to take a chance.

"You're a senior, right?"

The guy nodded. Buffy noticed she was in the same position he was: not ready for school at all.

"The name's Gunn," he said.

"Buffy."

There was no need for formal introductions. That's the way she liked it. _That's the way it should be. _She didn't look back as she left just as the bell rang to her next class.

* * *

She didn't remember to ask Willow and Xander where their current hangout spot was. _Didn't remember…or didn't care?_

Buffy decided to take the time to wander throughout the school. She figured she would have to run into the two of them, eventually. Strangely, as she walked through the school halls by herself, she didn't feel alone. Isolated, maybe; but not alone. Instantly Buffy recognized the various stereotypes being played out in their clichéd groups: the supposed 'geeks' bunched together in the computer labs, huddled over something more important than life. The anti-social kids who weren't even that anti-social. _They are hanging out together -- and that's not very anti-social._

Little comments played over and over again in her head as she examined the school. After three years -- _or was it four?_ -- she had forgotten Sunnydale. Never even got to experience Sunnydale High before moving to Los Angeles.

_Not that I'm missing out on much,_ Buffy noted glumly.

She turned the corner, ending up in an area where very little people hung out. Noticing a cloud of smoke around one group, she swayed in the other direction and, not looking where she was going, almost walked into someone.

"Woah," the familiar voice said, barely catching a football pass. "Could you --"

Buffy looked up and smirked. "Gunn, right?"

The rudeness in his voice instantly disappeared as he gripped the pigskin with his hands. "Right," he said. "And you're Summers. Should be Winters."

"Why? Too cold for you?" Buffy joked without a smile on her face.

"You know what I mean. What are you doing around here, anyways?"

Buffy's pride hitched down a notch, mainly because she couldn't seem to classify which stereotypical group Gunn belonged to. "I'm…well, I'm --"

"Lost?"

"Not really," she grinned sheepishly. "I lost my friends."

"Metaphorically, or…"

"As in can no longer locate them."

Gunn let out a breath. "Thought you were going to go on a death rattle or something," he said, shaking his head. "How would you like to meet new ones?"

The two looked over to where Gunn was pointing. Someone waved in the distance -- Buffy reasoned he was the one who threw the football. There were a few others sitting on top of abandoned bleachers -- mainly guys, she realized.

"Uh, I…I don't know," she panicked. "Maybe I should just go."

Gunn laughed. "Nervous? Miss Winters, nervous?"

"OK, I'll go," Buffy chuckled, "but only if you call me Buffy."

Both laughed before she found herself walking side-by-side with Gunn towards his friends.

"Lorne," he said to the guy who threw the football, "this is Buffy. Otherwise known as Anti-School-Spirit-Lad."  
Buffy crinkled her nose. "Doesn't the term 'lad' refer to males?"

"Not the point."

She laughed and shook Lorne's hand. "Nice to meet ya," he said before snatching the football from Gunn. He laughed before escorting Buffy over to the tables, where almost the entire group had noticed her by now, making her highly uncomfortable. She turned to Gunn. "Maybe I should just --"

"Hey, guys!" Gunn said in an overly loud voice, ending the conversation. Buffy shook her head and almost laughed at his attempt to get her embarrassed. "I'd like you to meet Anti-School --"

"It's Buffy!" she said, talking over Gunn's 'introduction'. "Just Buffy."

Gunn laughed and patted her head, just to have his hand swatted away by her. "Don't touch my head," she scowled in a friendly way.

"Feisty, eh?" Buffy looked towards the person talking and also recognized his hair from last night. "You'd get along good with Faith."

The group laughed as the girl next to him, presumably Faith, punched him squarely on the shoulder. "Also no-touch-girl. Probably would get along with Angel, too." Everyone except for Buffy laughed and agreed.

Gunn pointed to each person as he introduced them. "This here's Spike, Faith, Oz, and Kate." Buffy smiled at the group a little uneasily. Everything was happening so fast, there was no time for quiet reflection or brooding.

_Brooding?_ That was what Willow and Xander always called her. Instantly, she remembered she should be looking for her friends. She cared about them, and she didn't want either to worry. She didn't want to lose them.

Uttering a quick hello, she turned back to Gunn. "I really should get going now," she said. "I have to find my friends --"

"Hang out with us for a little while, pet," Spike interrupted.

"Yeah, B," Faith added. "You haven't even met all of us, yet."

Lorne, placing the football on the bench, nodded in response. "Angelcakes should be here any second."

_Angelcakes? Lorne must have been in the car at the neighbor's house --_

"I'd love to meet…Angelcakes," Buffy said, emphasizing the unusual name for a girl. "But I really, really have to go. Do you know where I could find the library?"

* * *

After managing to get Gunn's friends to calm down and stop laughing at the "Angelcakes" crack, Buffy got her directions to the library. Oddly enough, no one wanted to take her to the library for some reason concerning their rebellion against school -- which Buffy respected one-hundred percent. Unfortunately, the bell had rung before she even had a chance to step into the sacred land of books.

The remainder of the school day was uneventful. Buffy acted as a ghost through all her classes, confusing all of her teachers and classmates who participated in stupid introduction games such as naming your favorite hobby which starts with the first letter of your name. Basketball for Barney, Ukulele for Una. As if life was every that simple, simple enough to rename hobbies based on letter organization.

She wondered if things were different in Los Angeles. With her father. With her father's fiancé, what's-her-name. It didn't matter. What happened in the past stays in the past. Buffy sighed before heading towards the parking lot, where Xander's wave beckoned her over. She didn't care about the past, but wasn't too particularly interested in the future. The only thing to look forward to was the present, and that was gone before you knew it.

_Present. _

The Present…a present…gift…birthday party…

Buffy gasped. Her mother said the new neighbors were coming over right after school. She tried to recall the conversation; only remembering bits and pieces.

"There's a gift I'm supposed to get…" Buffy murmured to herself as she neared Xander and Willow. "Gift for…dinner, after meeting family…time? Oh, time. Four, maybe…" Buffy looked up and realized she was nearly a foot away from Xander's old car. "Do either of you remember what I'm supposed to do later on?"

Willow shook her head and Xander cleared his throat. "You barely said anything this morning."

"Right," Buffy muttered. "Do you think you could do me a favor and stop by the local flower shop?"

The trio hopped into the car. "Any particular reason?" Xander asked as he started up the engine.

"I'm supposed to do something, but I don't remember what."

"Ah," he said, steering out of the parking lot. "The game of life, itself."

* * *


	3. Dead On Arrival

Buffy exited from the right of Xander's car, rushing her good-bye's and thank-you's as she hurried up the steps to her house. Willow shouted out a "good luck!" before Xander sped expertly onto the street. Glancing at the new neighbor's house, she noticed the red convertible parked awkwardly in the drive-way as well as a less-spectacular car next to it.

_Not so rich, after all._

She didn't know why money mattered so much. Scratch that -- money didn't matter to her, but she did continually distance herself from those who had too much. The rich-phobia in her eased down a bit before she took out her house key and entered her house.

Immediately, she heard laughter. Her mother's and an unfamiliar female's hearty laugh carried throughout the house as she carefully walked through the hall way and into the kitchen.

She noticed her mother at table, sitting next to a woman with dark brown hair. At the sink was a tall man, washing something.

Dishes, probably. Hopefully.

Buffy couldn't tell if he was the husband or friend or son or what -- the back of his head was the only thing that told her he was male.

_Mother and son,_ her mother's voice echoed through her head. _Her son probably goes to your school._

Buffy put the keys inside a nearby container and walked over to the table. Inside her mind, she wondered how she could forget what her mother had told her just last night. The same thing happened with the flowers this morning.

Joyce turned to her daughter, laughter dancing in her eyes. "Ah, Buffy, you made it." Buffy smiled tightly as the other woman at the table stood up. "Meet Ms. Rodriguez."

"Just Alice," she said with a smile. Buffy uttered a 'nice-to-meet-you' and shook her hand.

"These are for you." Buffy offered her the flowers. "A little welcoming present, because my mom can't cook."

Alice laughed as Joyce playfully slapped Buffy on the shoulder. Alice turned to her son. "This is my son, Angelus."

He turned around as soon as his name was mentioned, drying off his hands on a dishrag in the process. Buffy held in her breath and watched him curiously as he made his way over. She noted that Angelus didn't eye her up and down like most guys. He stared into her eyes instead of at her chest -- _which barely exists, anyways._

"Hi," he said, his voice washing over her like velvet.

"Hi," she answered quietly, hesitantly, his intense eye contact almost making her turn away. _Almost._

"It's just Angel," he said, extending his hand out. "Angel for short."

Buffy smiled and shook his hand. He held on a little longer than necessary.

"You wouldn't happen to be Angelcakes, would you?"

Angel froze. His mother laughed loudly -- a little too loudly -- and asked in between breaths, "how did you know?"

"I think I met some of your son's friends," she said, looking over to Alice. "We hung out, and all the guy playing around with Gunn talked about was some mysterious friend named -- "

"Angelcakes," Angel grumbled, shaking his head and chuckling in slight embarrassment.

"I'm sorry," Buffy said, "but I assumed you were a girl. They wouldn't stop using the nickname after that."

He groaned in response, mockingly. "They'll never let me live this down."

"I wouldn't," Buffy agreed. She noticed her mother with a smile on her face, looking at her.

"You want to show him around?" Joyce asked.

Buffy shrugged nonchalantly and walked out of the kitchen. Angel followed, looking around at the pictures hanging proudly on the wall and other decorations which made the home a lot more livelier.

"How'd you meet Gunn?" he asked as he stared at a family photograph.

"He's in my homeroom," she answered, trying to cover the embarrassing picture next to it with her body. "We're home wreckers."

Angel smiled, noticing her attempt to block off a picture. "Home wreckers? Never. These _pictures_ suggest otherwise."

"They're a bit misleading, I should warn you," Buffy said, trying to stand on her tones so that Angel wouldn't see the picture frame behind her. "Let's go to my room. Upstairs. Go."

Angel looked at her with laughter in his eyes. "Why won't you let me see the picture?"

"Picture?"

"Behind you?"

Buffy chuckled nervously. "Oh, that one. Well, you know, it's a funny story. Let's go to -- "

"I get the point," Angel laughed, running a hand through his hair. _Still perfect,_ Buffy thought with a smug grin on her face. "Let's go."

Angel walked up the stairs with Buffy trailing behind him. "You know I'll see it eventually," he said.

"Not if I can help it."

She led him to her room, feeling a lot happier than normal. It might have been because someone was interested in her, and it might have just been Angel's presence. Whichever it was, Buffy realized that she wanted to keep this inner peace with her as long as possible and would do anything to remain this happy forever.

"So, this is my room."

Angel entered cautiously, as if Buffy's room was some kind of unmarked territory. She smiled and walked over to the window, opening it. "And this is the roof I often sit on."

"And sneak out of?"

Buffy stuck her tongue out at him mockingly, in which he smiled. "I'll take that as a yes."

"So," Buffy plopped down on her bed, watching Angel walk around her room, "where did you come from? Before Sunnydale?"

"I always lived in Sunnydale," he answered, playing with a stuffed pig she kept on her dresser. "Only…I used to live in a different part. Decided it wasn't the type for my mom and I, so we left."

_So mom wasn't lying,_ Buffy thought, somewhat ruefully. She had hoped Joyce was wrong in the fact that Angel came from a bag full of money. Those types never turned out well.

Angel took a seat on her floor, with the pig in his hand. Buffy smiled in return. "Taking a liking to Mr. Gordo, I see?"

He looked confused for a moment before looking down at his hands. Absentmindedly, he tossed it around for a while. "Mr. Gordo?"

"Yep. Sometimes, I still sleep with him when I'm feeling low. Recently."

Angel looked up, concern in his eyes. Buffy wondered why. _He doesn't even know me. He doesn't have to care._

"Recently?"

Buffy sighed. "Yeah, I guess." She turned over and lay on her stomach, looking at Angel. "You're not the only new member in the neighborhood. I just moved here a week ago."

"But your mom said she's had this house since a divorce?"

Buffy wondered why her mother told two total strangers that. _They are neighbors,_ she realized._ Neighbors, not necessarily friends._

"I stayed with my mom for a while," Buffy answered carefully. "Then, in between middle school, I went to L.A."

"To stay with your dad," Angel murmured, looking at Mr. Gordo. "Why'd you come back?"

She closed her eyes and exhaled. "Who knows, really. I wanted a break."

Angel noticed the tension in her sentence and decided to drop it. Buffy was grateful; it was hard for her to speak of her past, especially with strangers.

They continued to talk about school and their lives for a while. Buffy learned Angel was seventeen -- almost eighteen in a few months -- and currently had a serious girlfriend. Her name was Cordelia, and she went to the same high school as they did.

_Why does that name sound awfully familiar?_

"She's part of the reason why I wanted to move down here instead of anywhere else," Angel answered. "Not so far away from seeing her."

Buffy nodded. "Has she seen the house, yet?"

Angel immediately tensed up, Buffy noticed. She wished she could take back the question due to the discomfort it was causing.

"No," he said slowly. "She hasn't. She…she doesn't know I moved, yet."

Buffy sat up, with an incredulous expression on her face. "She doesn't know…I thought…I thought you guys were serious?"

"We are," Angel said defensively.

"And how long have you known about the move?"

He looked up at her with tired eyes. "Look, could we drop it? She'll see it eventually."

Buffy opened her mouth to say something, but immediately stopped. "Sorry," she mumbled. The two teenagers heard their parents calling them for dinner, and in one swift motion, Angel tossed Mr. Gordo to Buffy before walking down the stairs.

She looked after him before placing Mr. Gordo on her bed neatly. "Add another male example to the list, Mr. Gordo." She pretended to listen to the stuffed pig and nodded. "Yup. The "something's-wrong-with-Buffy" list. What is that, number one-hundred and five?"

She heard Angel walking back up the stairs and sighed. _It's going to be a long dinner. _

…And why am I talking to a stuffed pig?

* * *

Joyce and Alice seemed to be the only people at the table. Both parents looked to their teenagers and wondered what was going on to make them so quiet.

"So," Alice commented, looking at Buffy and Angel, "you two getting along OK?"

Buffy didn't answer. Angel looked at her, seeing her with her head down and silverware playing with the food. He looked back to his mother and smiled. "We're good."

_We're good. _

We're good.

We're good.

Not good enough, Buffy thought sadly. She looked at her mom and asked to be excused.

Joyce sighed and nodded her head. Buffy stood up and barely looked at Angel. "It was nice meeting you."

The phrase was directed to the air.

Angel watched as she left, noticing something different about her. Several minutes ago, she was happy and chirpy, and yet she had left in a sad state.

Buffy walked up the stairs slowly, barely making out her mother's words. "She hasn't been feeling well. Must be something at school."

_Always an excuse. _

But we're good. We're good…


	4. I Picture You

Chapter Four

Buffy threw Mr. Gordo up in the air and caught him while lying on her bed. Angel had left a little while earlier -- she had heard the door close and a series of "good-bye's" ring through the air.

She thought about Angel, about school and friends. About L.A. About her mother. Her father.

And all she could wonder was why she wasn't normal.

She wished the blank ceiling would swallow her whole.

_I have to get some air._

Grudgingly, she got out of her bed and put on a sweater with matching black sweat pants. With one last look at her room, she exited swiftly through her window.

The jump down was a lot higher than expected. Than she remembered. Debating her options, she decided to walk to the side of the house and use the fence to get down -- that jump wasn't going to kill her.

Silently trekking across the tile, and trying not to disturb her mother -- _probably watching television, anyways _-- she got to the edge and looked up.

Across the way, she noticed a light flicker on. It was the new neighbor's house, she noted, and probably a bathroom. Buffy sighed and realized she might have to be extra careful not to get caught. All she wanted was some peace by the moonlight.

Stumbling forward, she peered over the ledge. Even if she didn't show it, Buffy was anything but athletically challenged. She knew her limits, but tested them all the time.

She lowered herself from the roof by clinging on to the edge and kicked her legs to dangle from the fence. Once on the fence, she retained her balance and grabbed onto the roof gutter.

Unfortunately, in the dim lighting, her assumption was wrong and the roof gutter proved to be extremely weak. With a crash, she landed in a heap on her mother's garden.

_Oh, my._

Almost in an instant, the window above her opened and a familiar face looked down.

"What the -- "

She stood up and tilted her head. Buffy saw Angel in the room above and was silently thankful it wasn't Annie.

_Alice, not Annie,_ she remembered.

A moment of peace rested over them. Hesitantly, Angel spoke again.

"Buffy?"

She grinned sheepishly and waved.

"What are you doing?"

Picking her words carefully, she answered, "I wanted some air. Decided to get some. Outside."

Angel watched her move away from the garden and into the front yard. He shook his head and closed the window.

Buffy closed the gate behind her and hoped her mother didn't hear anything. She retreated backwards and looked towards the sky, trying to find the moon.

After a few moments, she found it hidden behind some trees. "There you are," she murmured, staring at it intently.

"There what is?"

She didn't bother to glance away from the moon. She knew who it was, anyways. "The moon. You can't see it this clearly in L.A."

"Right," Angel answered, walking next to her. "The sky-pollution."

The two stood watching the night sky for a while, neither saying a word.

And that was exactly how Buffy liked it.

* * *

"Angel, huh?" Xander said while he drove. "That one mysterious, cryptic, oh-so-hot boyfriend of Cordelia?"

Buffy stared. "You scare me sometimes, Xand."

"I try."

Buffy turned to Willow in the back seat. "What do you think about him?"

"Hmm? He's nice, I guess," Willow answered. "We don't really talk. Came into Sunnydale's public school system around the time you left, I believe. He's quiet. Yet arrogant, at times. It's hard to explain when you've watched him change over the years, but still, I'd watch out for him, Buffy."

"He's Cordelia's boyfriend. What do you expect?" Xander questioned.

"He was nice to me," Buffy stated, "until the subject of Crowdelia came up."

"Makes sense," Willow answered. "They're relationship is like a Barbie, I always say."

Xander glanced at her before watching the road. "A…Barbie?"

Willow nodded with a smile. "I've worked the whole thing out. A Barbie-like relationship -- fake, thrown together to satisfy the masses and anger the intelligent, and highly unstable -- "

"Unstable?" Xander wondered.

"If a Barbie doll were brought to life, er, life-sized, she wouldn't be able to walk. The measurements are all off; too big of a bust, too small of a waist, legs that will snap under pressure -- "

"Thus, destroying the illusion of perfection!" Buffy cheered.

Xander parked. "Horray Barbie?" Willow glared at him through the rear-view mirror. He sighed. "Must be a girl thing. And I'm still wondering where you get the time to come up with things like Barbie-doll theories."

The trio got out of the car just as the bell rung. After getting the correct hang out spot, and remembering it, Buffy searched for homeroom. She had left her schedule in the pocket of her jeans the other day and forgot to take it out. _It's gonna be hell finding my classes, now._ Her memory didn't help, either.

* * *

Math was lame. She wasn't even sure what math she was in, to tell the truth.

Then Chemistry. Also lame.

Homeroom was homeroom. She chatted with Gunn for a while, still wondering why he was in an 11th grade homeroom but didn't bother asking.

"I met Angelcakes the other day," Buffy told him.

Gunn laughed. "Oh, man, I've gotta hear this one. Didn't run into the group this morning -- late, as usual."

Buffy shook her head in mock disappointment.

"Not my fault the boss doesn't get up early!"

"The boss?"

Gunn shrugged. "It gets on his nerves."

"Speaking of nerves," Buffy answered, "he got a little picky when I unknowingly brought up bad images of Crowdelia."

His eyes got wide and his mouth twitched. "Crowdelia!"

"What? Isn't that her name?" Buffy asked innocently.

He broke out in laughter, only to get a dirty look from the teacher. "You! Over there! Shut up and learn."

"But this is homeroom!" Buffy protested.

The teacher glared at her in response and continued to call roll.

"You don't have to say much for him to get picky," Gunn said, a little softer.

Buffy yawned. "I realized that. I was just wondering about their seriousness and then BAM! Complete glare, eye-slits and everything!"

"Man," he answered rubbing his head, "I still don't know why they're going out. Or at least why Angel's going out with Cordy."

She shrugged. "Popularity?"

He shook his head. "Nah, he's not like that."

"He probably got trapped in the web that we all get stuck in sometimes," Buffy said softly. "Looking for something or someone to fill that empty void…settling with less when we know we could get more -- "

Gunn put up his hands. "Okay, enough with the cryptic talk, Buff. You're starting to sound like the boss."

The two walked out of the band room as the bell sounded and found themselves surrounded by a mass of energetic students. Gunn looked down at her and asked, "you gonna be hanging out with us today?"

"No, sir," Buffy said. "Thanks for the offer, but I planned meeting my two friends Willow and Xander -- "

"The ones you lost the other day?"

She smiled. "Yup."

Before they said their goodbyes, Gunn told her she could bring the two over at their hangout spot anytime. She kept the offer in mind before wandering off to look for a burnt tree next to the grass area.

A couple minutes later, she found Willow and Xander. Xander saw her first, pointed, and waved. Willow turned around and jumped.

"You made it!" the redhead exclaimed.

Buffy smiled, proud of herself. "Yep. I sure did."

"We're glad you could come, Buffster. Two makes company, but three makes a crowd."

"Very true," she said. "Hey, do any of you know who Gunn is?"

"Hangs out with Angel, right?" Xander asked, taking a bite of his sandwich. "Very manly, too!"

Buffy laughed.

"Hey! I got her to laugh!" Xander grabbed Willow by the shoulders, mockingly. "I got her to laugh!"

The three of them laughed. Willow smiled and patted Xander on the back. "So what about Gunn?"

Buffy stretched. "He offered a hang out place, if we ever needed one. I hung out with his group when I had no idea where I was going."

"Oh! Oh, hey!" Willow said excitedly, "isn't that where that one musician guy hangs out at? Oz?"

"Yeah, I met him yesterday, kind of," Buffy answered.

Xander nudged Willow in the stomach, playfully. "Someone's got a 'thing'."

"I do not have a 'thing,' Xander," she said defensively, "but I do have a thing for Oz." She froze.

"Wills? Willow?"

"I just remembered," Willow said, "I don't do good with boys. They make me all jittery and nervous and argh and -- "

"Maybe we should get to hang out with them so you'll get to know them better?" Buffy suggested.

Xander looked at her. "Doesn't Cordelia hang out with them, too? You know, the whole Angel factor?"

Buffy shook her head. "Nope, not really. In fact, I haven't even seen either of them at school yet."

The trio continued to talk and have fun until the bell rang, signaling more classes. The entire day was uneventful for Buffy until English, the last period of the day.

If there was one subject that didn't bore her out of her mind, it had to be English. The teacher (and school librarian) was Mr. Giles, and Buffy had -- for some reason -- found him very amusing to watch and listen to.

In the middle of class, the door opened and Angel stepped inside, wearing loose black pants and a white shirt. Buffy instantly looked up, wondering why Angel was in Mr. Giles' room.

"Hey, Giles," he said over the student's talking. _Giles? Hmm…it has it's touch._ "Can I ask you something?"

"Hello, Angelus," Mr. Giles said. "What do you need?"

"Just wondering if you need a TA," he asked.

Mr. Giles took off his glasses and cleaned them, a habit Buffy loved counting. _Third time this period._ "Well, you could help with this class, I assume."

Angel looked up at the class and looked around. Buffy raised her eyebrows at him when his gaze landed on her.

"Sure," he said, smiling, still watching Buffy but talking to Mr. Giles. "I'm grateful."

"Excellent, then," Mr. Giles said. "Take a seat in the back. Do you need anything to do?"

Angel showed him a book. Buffy looked carefully and saw the title: The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger. _One of my favorites._

Mr. Giles smiled. "It suits you."

Angel smirked before walking to the back, as the students continued to watch him. Buffy matched his stare, watching as he pulled up a desk next to her and sat down.

"Hey."

His voice was so smooth. It almost threw her off-track. Almost.

The class listened to her response, Mr. Giles included.

With nothing more than a glance at him, she looked back down at her writing assignment for the day.

"Hello, Angelcakes."

* * *


End file.
